The Return
by SadesBabes
Summary: A year since the battle of Hogwarts & the school is finally back up and running. The term is about to begin & the gang is returning to complete 7th year...& so is Malfoy. When Death Eaters threaten Harry & his friends they are forced to go on the run with assigned protectors. Can Hermione deal with being protected by a man she once hated? Can she help herself from falling for him?
1. Chapter 1: Draco

Author's Note:

Hey Guys! Ohkay, so this is my first attempt at writing one of these stories so PLEASE be patient with me! I know this chapter is quite short and I will try and make them longer in the future. I'd love your input, so please review! Happy reading :)

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

_This is ridiculous. _Draco Malfoy thought to himself as he stepped onto the Howarts train. People turned and stared through the windows of the cars they were seated in. He caught bits and pieces of conversations as he walked down to the car he used to share with Blaise and Pansy.

**What's he doing here?**

**He was a death eater...**

**How could he be let back?!**

_This is already getting old. _He continued along the hall until he found the car he had been looking for. Within a second he had opened the door and got inside.

"Draco!" Pansy squealed as she lurched up from her seat to hug him.

"Hello, Pansy," he said as he pushed her back a bit. _She's always a bit too close for comfort._

"Draco," Blaise said with a curt nod.

"Hello, mate. Surprised to see me I take it?"

"A bit. Last I heard you were going to Azkaban."

_What's his problem? _Draco looked Blaise up and down, trying to assess his mood. Instead of his usual, relaxed self he seemed to be a bit on edge. Angry, even.

"Well lucky enough for me, the Malfoy name still holds quite a pull in the ministry. Most of the idiots working there still fear of his return." Draco said with a dark tone to my voice.

"Yes lucky you," Blaise spat at him.

"What's your problem Zabini?" He snapped. _His attitude is really beginning to piss me off_.

"No fighting! I do not want my two favorite boys fighting!" Pansy said as she grabbed for both of our hands. Blaise threw her a harsh look and pulled away. Pansy looked at him, hurt glimmered behind her eyes, but she hid it quickly.

_I wonder what that's about? These two are acting weird, I must of missed something during my trials._ Malfoy finally pulled his hand back from hers and sat down. She followed suit, sitting down a little too close to Draco.

_Great. Just great. I get to start the seventh year at Hogwarts off with my best mate mad at who knows what and an annoying prat practically glued to me. _

"Ugh!" Draco growled under his breath.

"What's wrong Draco?" Pansy asked like an overly concerned mother.

"The fact that I have to be here for starters."

"Well why did you come back then? Last time I saw you you told me that you weren't planning on coming back to finish seventh year," Blaise interjected.

A hint of anger was directed towards Draco, but for what? Draco turned his head to fix his cool, grey stare on Blaise.

"It was part of the deal. I get to stay out of Azkaban as long as I come back and finish seventh year. I also have to help out with the younger students," The last sentence had a bit of venom to it. He couldn't stand children, and now he was actually being expected to help.

Blaise didn't answer, he just looked towards the window, seeming to be lost in his thoughts.

Draco turned to Pansy again, wanting to talk to someone. _She'll have to do._

"Pansy? Do you know which of the staff will be returning?" _Please, Please don't let McGonagall be headmaster. _

"From what I heard not many are coming back. Professor Trelawney stayed, as did Hagrid, who I believe is still doing magical creatures. Also, I'm pretty sure that damn Gryffindor cat is headmaster now."

_Great. Not only is the loony who thinks she can see the future still there and McGonagall Headmaster, but Hagrid is back! For Merlin's sake I'll lose an eye with that man and his foul creatures!_

"Wonderful," Blaise grumbled.

Draco looked up. Blaise seeming a bit more relaxed, now turned to face Pansy and him. Draco and Blaise made eye contact and rolled their eyes. Whatever he had been mad about earlier, no longer seemed to affect him.

"Anyone else?" Malfoy asked Pansy.

"Not that I've heard of, but who knows? Slytherins don't get told much anymore."

Draco looked out the door to see Hermione Granger and the Weasley girl out by the trolly of sweets. _Well, her hair isn't as frizzy. Maybe I'll be able to see past it in class for once. _Draco snickered to himself. _She really has grown into her looks throughout the years, though. Lucky enough for her. _

"Draco, what on earth are you staring at?" Pansy hissed at him.

"The candy trolly," he said quickly, covering up what he really had been looking at.

"Oh, would you like me to go fetch you something?"

"No," he snapped back at her.

"Fine," she glared and looked away.

"Don't look now mate, but Granger and the Weaselette are staring in here," Blaise said quietly. He had a knowing look in his eye. He could obviously tell what, or who I should rather say, Draco was staring at.

Draco looked out of the corner of his eye and sure enough, they were. He turned his head quickly, and smiled his devilish, Malfoy smirk at them. He ran a hand through his white/blond hair while doing so. This seemed to set Granger off, because she gave him her best glare and stormed off. The Weasley girl sped off to follow her.

_Good. Something has finally gone right._

"Draco, love, put on your robes. We'll be there in five minutes," Pansy purred, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Draco shuddered as he turned around to face her, grabbing the robes from her hands.

_This is going to be a long, long year._


	2. Chapter 2: Hermione

Author's Note:

So I'm going to be trying to get at least two chapter's up a week. Thanks for reviewing it's really helped! I know I had a lot of mistakes last chapter,, like switching between 1st and 3rd person, but I've fixed all that since then. So anyways, thanks for reading! I really hope you keep reviewing!

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Hermione made her way off platform 9 ¾, and onto the Hogwarts Express. It had been a long year of waiting for this day to come. Finally being able to go back to Hogwarts, to her home, felt amazing.

_I wonder where Harry, Ron, and Ginny are? _Hermione brushed past people, checking from car to car for her group of friends. Having only walked a few feet down hall, she found them sitting in their compartment. She reached out, moving the door out of her way, and walked into the small cubicle.

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed after seeing who entered.

"Hello Harry! Ron, Ginny!" She greeted them with enthusiasm. _We all have so much to catch up on! I haven't seen them in weeks, and this reunion is just what I needed! _

"Hi, Mione!" Ron said, smiling up at her from his seat next to Harry.

"It's great to finally see you! It's been so long," Ginny whined, hoping up from her seat across from Harry's, to give Hermione a hug.

"It's great to see you too," Hermone replied. _Merlin's beard, it's crazy how much I've missed them! It's only been three weeks since I'd left for my internship at the ministry, and the time seems longer now then it did then._

"How'd the internship go?" Harry asked, looking up from the newest edition of The Quibbler.

"It was amazing! I really enjoyed working with the people there. I learned a ton of new things. Muggle relations is a very interesting branch in the ministry."

"I bet," Ron chimed in halfheartedly, with a look of boredom on his face. _He's probably heard enough things about muggle relations from his father, to last a lifetime,_

"Knock it off, Ron!" Ginny said, obviously not wanting to deal with his crap at the moment.

_Those two are always bantering._ Hermione laughed quietly to herself. _This argument is going to escalate quickly if I don't intervene soon._

"Ginny, would you like to go look for the candy trolley with me? I'm getting a bit hungry," Hermione chimed in expertly, between their bantering.

"Absolutely!" She hopped up with a smile on her face and made her way to the door.

_I knew that would work! _She smiled to herself for coming up with a solution to the problem so quickly. Her and Ginny made their way up the hall, towards the front of the train. _Where is that wretched cart? I know I didn't pass it on the way to our cart, so it has to be down farther._

"There it is!" Ginny said, and began walking at a hurried pace.

"Ginny! Slow down!" Hermione shouted after her, trying to keep up to her long strides. _Merlin, when did she become so fast? _They reached the trolley must faster than they would have if they had been walking at a normal pace.

"Anything you'd like from the trolley, my dears?" the dainty, old woman working the trolley asked.

"I'll take a licorice wand, three chocolate frogs, and a couple of pumpkin pasties, please." Ginny said in a rush.

_Well she obviously is excited for candy. _

"Here you go," the woman said as she handed Ginny her candy. "That'll be seven knuts."

Ginny handed her the money and moved out of the way so that Hermione could get a better view of the cart.

"I'll just have a licorice wand, please." Hermione said.

"That'll be two knuts." The woman gave her a gentle smile as they exchanged goods.

"Thank you." She said quite pleasantly.

"Uhm, Mione, Draco Malfoy was just staring at you." Ginny said, a few emotions flashed behind her eyes.

"What?!" I said, spinning around to see where he was.

There was Draco Malfoy, sitting in the compartment across from the trolley. Hermione stood there glaring through the glass at the three people sitting inside. Malfoy was sitting next to Pansy Parkinson, while speaking to Blaise Zabini. _That's odd. _Malfoy turned around in his saet to face her through the window. He smirked at her, and gave her a smoldering look. He ran his hand through his hair. _What's that git trying to do?_ _Make me swoon?_ She gave him her best dirty look, crossed her arms, and stormed away. _Ugh! The nerve of him! He may be handsome, but that does not give him the right!_

"Hermione! Slow down!" Ginny called, more than a few paces behind her.

_Oh. I'm practically running! _Hermione slowed down to a walk, allowing Ginny to catch up.

"Don't let that git get under your skin!" she wheezed out, trying to catch her breath.

"I''m not." Hermione replied, stubbornly.

"You are, and you shouldn't. He's not worth it, Mione. He's just trying to mess with you."

"I know. Ugh, he just acts like he's king of the world. I mean, what is he even doing here? Last thing I heard he was on trial to go to Azkaban!"

"That's the last I heard too, but when we get to Hogwarts I'm sure you could owl my dad. He probably knows what is going on."

"Alright, I will. But I don't understand how they could let a death eater back into Hogwarts. That's a recipe for disaster!"

"I agree, but there's nothing we can do about it. It's up to Mcgonagall to keep him in line. Now let's get back to the car." Ginny said, pointedly.

Hermione realized they had stopped walking. Beginning again, she and Ginny made their way to the compartment containing Harry and Ron.

"We're back," Ginny announced, walking into the compartment behind Hermione.

"Took ya long enough!" Ron said, examining the candy in their hands.

"Bring back any for us?" Harry asked as the girls sat down.

"Yes, but you'll have to wait until we get to Hogwarts to eat. We'll be arriving in a few minutes and we all still have to get changed." Ginny said with a sly smile on her face.

"Ugh." Harry and Ron groaned.

_Well, she just loves to mess with them, doesn't she? _Hermione grabbed her robes with a smile on her face. _This year is going to be great. Long, but great._


End file.
